SB8d: The Heart Flashcards
Aorta
The major artery leading away from the heart.
Atrium
An upper chamber in the heart that receives blood from the veins. (Plural is atria).
Cardiac output
The volume of blood the heart can pump out in one minute. It is calculated using the equation:
cardiac output = stroke volume × heart rate
Chamber
An enclosed space. A human heart has four chambers.
Contract
To become smaller. When muscles contract, they shorten and become fatter.
Deoxygenated blood
Blood in which the red blood cells are only carrying small amounts of oxygen. Deoxygenated blood is a dark red colour.
Heart attack
When the heart stops pumping properly due to a lack of oxygen reaching part of it.
Heart rate
The number of heart beats in a unit of time, usually per minute (beats/min).
Heart valve
A structure made of flaps of tissue between an atrium and a ventricle of the heart. The heart valve stops blood flowing in the wrong direction when the heart muscle contracts.
Impulse
An electrical signal transmitted along a neurone.
Oxygenated blood
Blood in which the red blood cells are carrying large amounts of oxygen. Oxygenated blood is a bright red colour.
Pulmonary artery
An artery that carries deoxygenated blood from the right atrium to the lungs.
Pulmonary vein
A vein that carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium.
Septum
A wall of tissue. The septum in the heart completely separates the chambers on the right from those on
the left.
Stroke volume
The volume of blood the heart can pump out with each beat.
